Abraham s



UNITED STATES y PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAHAM S. ADLER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

VLAST.

SPECIFICATION forming pere ef Lettere Patent No. 549,480, aereaNevemte.` 1e, 1895.

Application filed March '7, 1895. Serial No. 540,846. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM S. ADLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Lasts; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as Will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Figure 1 represents a perspective View of a last, showing the toe-pieceseparated therefrom. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line c .fr ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is abottom vieW of one of the toe-pieces. Figs. -t and 5are details to be referred to.

used With any one of several forms or styles of toe that may berequired.

My invention also relates to a means for ascertaining if a given lasthas the correct or standard Width of bottom and circumferen- -tialmeasurement, said means forming a guide or model to which thecross-sectional form of the last may be shaped or trimmed to bring it tostandard shape and size, all of which I shall hereinafter fully describeand claim. l

My invention is also an improvement on my former patent, No. 379,039,granted March 6, 1888.

Ithas long been recognized by makers and users of the ordinary Woodenlasts that' many lasts Which are supposed to be of the recognizedstandard size often vary to such a degree as to unfit them for themanufacture of shoes of the size denoted by the number or charactersusually stamped upon lasts. This condition is especially noticeable inthose parts of the last, such` as the heel and toe parts, Which are leftin an unnished condition after the last is removed from the machineWhich turns it. Until the employment of the form of measuring-machinedisclosed in my former patent, No. 526,849, dated October 2, 1894, therewas no absolute accurate Way of ascertaining the circumference anddiameter of a last at the toe. This was usually guess- Work and Was leftlargely to the discretion of the lasteiinishers, and as they are not allusually skilled the lasts presumably of the same size cannot all becorrect, a fact which is readily proven by cutting a finished pair oflasts at any point transversely.

With the idea of correcting the known defects in the lasts as noWmanufactured and to provide a means whereby all lasts may be made tostandard size, I divide my last at one or more parts, and after shapingone piece to a standard size I shape another piece and fit it thereto,so that when the last is complete it will be true in every particular.

Another feature of improvement of my last over those of the usual solidform, and which tends to reduce the expense of shoe manufacturersconsiderably, is as follows: The usual insole, in lasting a shoe, isfastened to the last at the toe by one or more tacks, and in course oftime Wears out the Wood at that point and eventually makes the lastWorthless. With the present styles of razor or pointed toes it takes buta very short period to unfit the lasts for use, and consequently thelasts have to be replaced by new solid ones, While with the use of mystandard body portion new toe-pieces may be readily made to supply theWorn-out pieces at a small expense and Without trouble.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings for a more completeexplanation of my invention, A represents a last of the ordinary Woodenform, divided transversely at its toe portion to form a detachabletoe-piece A. In the manufacture of my last the body portion A is shapedin the rough in the usual manner, but preferably Without the usual toeextension. I then take a plate B, of light metal, or it may be paper orother material, if desired, and fasten it to said front of the body ofthe last by means of pins driven through holes b, formed in said plate.These plates are accurately made according to the usual and recognizedstandard Width of bottom and circumferential measurement of lasts. Theytherefore correctly'represent the exterior outline of thecross-sectional configuration of a standard last at the toe portion orat any other portion Where it may be desired to divide the lasttransversely, it being IOO understood that wherever the line of divisionoccurs a plate corresponding with the body portion at that portion willbe made and used in the same manner as herein described for the one usedat the toe portion. The shape which must be given these plates may bereadily ascertained by any suitable method or means, as by the machineshown in said former patent, and the plates may be stamped from asuitable blank or piece in any of the usual or well-known ways. rI heseplates are also formed with holes C, and when the plate is secured tothe front of the body by means of pins passed through its holes I) andinto said front the latter is bored with openings corresponding with theholes C, formed in the plate, and pins C' are driven through said holesand into the openings to secure the plate in place. The pins project infront of the plate and furnish means for the attachment of removable andinterchangeable toe-pieces, as I shall presently disclose. The platebeing now firmly secured to the front of the body, and possessing inoutline the exact width of bottom and circumferential measurement of aperfect last at the point where the plate is located, I now shave ortrim the last, if inspection shows that its exterior outline does notaccurately match the outline of the plate, to the plate, and until theouter line of the plate and outer line of the front ofthe body are inperfect harmony. I now remove the plate, leaving the pins C/ in placeand project-ing, as before described, and I take a piece or block ofwood from which the toe-piece is to be made and iinish the edge in thesaine manner as the body, after boring holes in it to match the pinsprojecting from the front of the body and giving it the required shape.I then drive this piece upon the pins and close up tothe body portion.IIavin g finished one toe-piece, Imay then make one or more additionalones in the saine wayas that described for the iirst one and give toeach of them either the same or adiiferent shape or style but each stylewill possess the exact and true width of bottom and circumference andwill accurately match the corresponding front end of the perfected bodyportion.

The pins C are removable from the body portion, as they are simplydriven into holes formed in the same, and they are likewise removablefrom the toe-piece. The plate is also removable from the pins and has noiixed engagement with any portion of the last or the pins.

In fitting a toe-piece of any shape or style to the body of the last Isimply drive the pins into the body, as before mentioned, and then drivethe toe-piece onto the pins, the latter fitting the holes in the bodyand toe-piece closely enough to hold the toe-piece in position withoutother means.

In the under face of the toepiece at the point where it meets the likeface of the body I t'orin a groove or notch d, (see Fig. 3,) in which ablade or tool may be inserted to effeet the separation of toe-piece andbody. The last may be divided at other points than the toe, as at theball, waist, instep, or heel, in the same manner as described for thetoe portion, and for the purpose of building upa perfect last fromseparable sections without departing from the 'spirit of my invention.

IIavin g thus 'described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a divided last, the body portion thereof, and a means for truingsaid body and bringing it to standard circumferential size, consistingof a plate removably fitted to the body portion and having its exteriorcorresponding with the width of bottom and circumference of a last ofstandard size at the point where the plate is to be used, said bodyportion being shaped to the outline of the plate, pins removably fittedto the body portion and projecting therefrom, and a toe piece adapted tobe removably fitted to the piojectin g ends of the pins.

2. In a divided last, the body portion, in combination with a platefitted thereto and having an exterior outline and size representing theoutline and the width of bottom and circuinj'ferential size of a last ofstandard size at the point where the plate is used, pins passing throughopenings in said plate and into corresponding openings in the bodyportion of the last, and projecting in front of the plate, and a toepiece also shaped to said plate and adapted to be fitted to theprojecting ends of said pins, said plate and pins being separable fromeach other and also from the sections of the last.

The process herein described of making lasts, consisting in firstforming the body ot' the last in the rough and without a toe piece; thentittin g to the body portion a plate whose outline is in the similitudeof the outline of a perfect last at that point; then shaping theexterior outline of the body to the outline of the plate; then removingsaid plate and iitting it to a toe piece in the same manner as describedfor the body piece and then join ing both pieces together substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence ot two witnesses.

ABRAHAM ADLER. lYitnesses:

SAMUEL S. Bocos, WILLIAM J. LAKE.

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